Egyptian press fears Boeing would influence EgyptAir probe

State-run newspapers expressed fears here Wednesday that plane-builder
Boeing and the US government would try to deny any blame for last month's
EgyptAir crash and pin it on Egypt instead.

Mussawar magazine, Al-Ahram daily and other publications said the economic
stakes were so high for Boeing and the United States that they would have a
strong motive to influence the outcome of the crash probe.

"Why do the Americans exclude the possibility of a sudden technical
breakdown?" asked the managing editor of the government-owned Al-Mussawar,
Makram Mohammed Ahmed, who is close to President Hosni Mubarak.

"American interests could be extremely affected if it is proven that a
sudden mechanical breakdown, a production mistake or an errant American
missile is the cause of the crash," he wrote.

"A mechanical breakdown or a production error would amount to a painful
blow to Boeing after an increase in crashes of its aircraft in the last two
years and its market setbacks to European Airbus," Ahmed said.

"The United States would not allow Boeing to lose its reputation, because
Boeing represents a greater US interest," he said.

To support its argument, Mussawar ran excerpts from a report in the US
magazine Newsweek quoting a government official as saying: "Behind closed
doors Boeing is pushing the cockpit-struggle theory as the likely cause of the
crash."

"The technical shortcomings are one of the most important probabilities to
consider," Al-Ahram said. "This is a strong probability, especially as the
investigating authorities rush to throw the blame on the co-pilot."

Egypt reacted furiously last week after leaks from the investigation
speculated that a co-pilot crashed the Boeing 767 into the Atlantic off
Massachusetts on October 31 in an act of suicide and mass murder.

"The company's interest is as great as the attempts to put the blame for
the crash on any other party, especially if we consider the fierce competition
between (Boeing) and other airline manufacturers," it said.

The independent economic newspaper Al-Alam Al-Yom also accused Boeing of
trying to twist the investigation.

On Monday, Egyptian Transportation Minister Ibrahim al-Dumeiri made the
same charge, without mentioning the company by name.

The "airline production company" was interfering with the probe to protect
itself, Dumeiri told parliament's transportation committee.

There was "a tendency and pressure to conclude that the accident was the
result of an Egyptian mistake, but the documents have proven this tendency was
wrong," he said without specifying which papers.

When an MP asked which party "tried to steer the accusations toward the
Egyptians," Dumeiri replied: "It's the airline production company which tried
to defend itself."

He said it was "trying to defend its production" and prove itself innocent.